Salman Rushdie is one of the world's most revered literary masters, with a Booker Prize and two Whitbread Awards among his accolades. His unique brand of magic realism is particularly effective in The Enchantress of Florence, the story of a European traveler and the extraordinary tale he shares with 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar the Great. The traveler claims to be the son of a Mughal princess forgotten by time. If his tale is true, what happened to the princess?
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"Rushdie is on top of his form in this book. The connection of the de Gama' s to India is overlooked in what I know about India resulting in some very paradoxical points of view. We need authors like Rushdie to make those connections. Add a good yarn and the book flows nicely to Florence and beyond. "
— David (4 out of 5 stars)
" Good story, well written. I listened to the audio book and the "performance" could have been better "
— Susan, 2/11/2014" This was the first Salman Rushdie book I've read and although I've heard Midnight's Children was on of his best works, I may find it hard to pick up another one of his books. This was an extremely tedious read. I felt like it was all over the place and jumped from one plot and scene to another without much explanation. I also thought he tried to hard to make it sound like poetry which just made it a difficult read. "
— Emmy, 2/10/2014" This was the first book I've read of Salman Rushdie, and I'm sorry to say, it's likely to be my last. I couldn't follow the story, didn't really keep up with the characters, I was lost in different time periods. If he had family trees or other things in the book I may have kept up to date, but he kept losing me. So much for being enchanted! I just didn't get into the story or his writing style. Absolutely forgettable and a massive disappointment. "
— Rachael, 2/6/2014" I listened to this as a talking book. I would probably not finished it if I had read it. I found the names long and confusing which made it difficult to follow at times. The reader was quite flat. The twist at the end was quite good. "
— Lily, 2/3/2014" Everything I've read so far by Rushdie has been fantastical and absorbing. I love getting lost in these stories. "
— Tiffany, 1/25/2014" I managed to get through this book but I didn't really enjoy it - the things I liked were the fairy tale qualities and imagining famous people in history - or their relations. There was also some nice descriptions - but I diskiked the long back stories of fairly minor characters and the chauvinism - all the women had to be beautiful or mysterious - just boarding a bit GQ "
— Paula, 1/25/2014" Rushdie always delivers. This is better than the last one I read, (The Moor's Last Sigh) and made me love him even more! "
— Ryo, 1/19/2014" Can't believe that it took me this long to pick up a Rushdie book. The language is rich and if you slide over a paragraph you really may miss something important. The plot was pretty tightly woven and I should have applied myself to the book a little better. Reading late at night I kept falling asleep and having to reread pages. Wonderful magical realism though and I love how he glosses in a sentence something as complex as the development of Urdu. "
— Kristen, 1/19/2014" This is one of those books that could have been told in half the time, and one that you keep waiting for some sort of exciting finish, only to leave you frustrated. Not one I would recommend "
— Heather, 1/16/2014" Only made it to page 206, where Emperor Akbar tells the storyteller: "You're taking too long ... You can't draw this out forever, you know." Seemed like a good omen to stop as Rushdie still had 150 pages to go "
— Prakash, 1/15/2014" Audiobook- Rushie is one of my favorite authors and this one felt like you were back in time being entertained by a true story-teller around a campfire. "
— Amy, 12/30/2013" Rushdie's spin on mythology and history is far less interesting than mythology or history. Sorry, buddy. "
— Taylor, 12/25/2013" An intricate tale within a tale. Not great but entertaining. Includes some history of Florance under the Medici's and India under Akbar. "
— Reuel, 8/6/2013" I'd picked up this book and put it down so many times I've lost count. It wasn't what I expected, but still wasn't crazy about it. "
— Alison, 3/29/2013" i don't know what to write really, but i did like the plot and the characters. you just fall in love with them:) "
— Patricia, 1/27/2013" Salman Rushdie has captured my imagination and my respect for his marvelous writing skill. I must read more of this great author. "
— Charlie, 5/29/2012" Filled with stories of adventure with a mystery that weaves throughout. "
— Bernard, 5/8/2012" It was boring. I couldn't finish the book "
— Sowmya, 4/19/2012" I confess that I'm not much of a Rushdie fan. I usually find him a bit too self-indulgent, constantly showing us how smart he is. However, I was totally captivated with this book. Simply put, this was a good bit of masterful storytelling. "
— Bill, 1/22/2012" couldn't get into this book...so I quit! "
— Sheri, 10/30/2011" Told in the form of legend, the novel moves from Mughal India to Renaissance Florence and back, with a cast of memorable characters that includes Macchiavelli. Fascinating and pithy. "
— Ken, 9/19/2011" By far one of the more exciting books I have read lately. Could have been its strong connection to Indian history - questioning the very existence of a Queen - or the fast paced nature of the book which is not what I really expected from rushdie. he usually takes his time. A pleasurable read. "
— Sanjana, 4/27/2011" loved it - pulling together the worlds of Florence & Fatephur Sikri in a magical tale about a beautiful Mughal princess; I always loved magical surrealism. "
— Melanie, 4/19/2011" Not as good as some of his other books that I have read but still very good with some excellent moments. "
— Michael, 4/17/2011" Loved the setting, but a tough read. "
— Greg, 4/13/2011" Not really his best book but well worth getting into. Only Rushdie-haters won't find any pleasure in it. "
— Morgan, 4/13/2011" I tried, I really did. But I'm an old lady and I like a linear story: beginning, middle, and end. Very old-fashioned. This story - if story there is - is circular, I assume. I stayed lost, anyway, for 200 pages before putting the book in the "for the library" pile. "
— Catherine, 4/10/2011" beautiful prose. the writing is incredibly engaging and sucks the reader in. unfortunately, the story itself is not as intriguing as the writing. towards the end, the two storylines both dragged on - and left me waiting impatiently for a conclusion. overall, a good, well-written read. "
— Jenfasy, 4/4/2011" My first Rushdie novel. Not sure why I've waited this long to read his stuff; it's excellent. <br/> <br/>I found this one to be a wonderfully evocative novel, with a long, slowly building story. Sadly, it abruptly (and quite literally) dumps you in the middle of the desert at the end. "
— Dave, 4/3/2011" Sumptuous storytelling. The perfect beach read/escapist novel for your spring vacation. "
— Skabot, 3/25/2011" Absolutely gorgeous writing that creates colorful and vivid pictures of the action. The story reads like a cross between Garcia-Marquez and Tales of the Arabian Nights, just set in Italy and India. This will be an interesting one to discuss at my next book club. "
— Jason, 3/21/2011" The first book of Rushdie that I actually finished reading. It changed my idea of his work, I decided to read more from him. Two of his books rest already on my shelf. One of these days I will attack them, that is sure! "
— Johan, 3/12/2011" A fantastic, rich, fascinating, alluring novel full of fantasy and insights in the mughal court and Florence at the time of the ruling of the Medici. Would've given it 4,5 if that had been an option. "
— Yolanda, 3/5/2011Salman Rushdie is the author of a collection of short stories, a collection of essays, and fourteen novels, including Midnight's Children, which won the Booker Prize and the Best of the Booker. He has also published four works of nonfiction and coedited two anthologies. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a distinguished writer in residence at New York University. A former president of PEN American Center, he was knighted in 2007 for services to literature.
Firdous Bamji has appeared in numerous plays in New York and across the country and played the title role in William Shakespeare’s Othello. He has played leading parts in world and American premiere productions of plays by noted playwrights, including Tom Stoppard, Tony Kushner, Eric Bogosian, and Rebecca Gilman. He has also had guest starring parts on Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU, and he was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award as Best Supporting Actor for his work in the film The War Within.